THE COMMON MARKET AND THE COMMUNIST PARTIES OF CAPITALIST EUROPE

The attitude of the different Communist Parties towards the European Common Market has a basic common feature, but at the same time, because of the different conditions in which each Farty works, they have to take decisions regarding what tactics to follow in their own country.

All the Communist Parties are argeed that it EEC was set up by the big monopolies and their political representatives in order to strengthen their domination of capitalist Europe.

This view was clearly set out in the joint Declaration of the Communist Parties of the Capitalist Countries of Europe, who met in conference in Brussels, January 26—28, 1974.

The relevant passage from the declaration runs as follows:

“Economic integration in the EEC is proceeding under the direc­tion , and in the interests of large-scale capital. It expresses itself primarily in the consolidation of the big industrial concentrations, the monopolies and powerful multinational companies. It dis­criminates against Third World countries. Plans and proposals for the construction, on that same basis, of a political union of the Common Market countries in the monopolies’ interests are meeting with popular resistance,”

At the same time, the conference recognized the different situa­tions in which the various Parties found themselves, some of them working in countries which had been members since the formation of the EEC (15 years ago), some of which had only recently joined, and others which were not members. The Declaration therefore set out the different positions in this way:

“Different situations exist nowadays for Western European countries. In some of them, for which a 15-year membership of the EEC has created tight economic links, the Communist Parties struggle against its monopolistic orientation and its consequences as well as for its democratization.

“In other countries for which membership is very recent, the Communist Parties are working to secure the complete withdrawal of their countries from the Common Market.

“In the Western European countries that are not members or associates of the Common Market, the Communist Parties struggle against any attempt to include their countries in the sphere of influence of the monopolies that dominate the EEC. All the Com­munist Parties are opposed, in any case, to the accession of the European fascist regimes to the Common Market or their associa­tion with it.

“However, despite this variety of situation, the Communist Parties of the capitalist countries of Europe reaffirm that a com­mon reply to the policy of monopolistic economic integration is both possible and necessary. To this end they mean to act together so as to bring about, in the face of the problems that confront all the Western European peoples, solutions in eonfirmity with the interests of them all, as well as truly democratic European co-op­eration meeting the interests of each and every one of their coun­tries.”

The Communist Parties of the three countries which have only recently become members — Great Britain Ireland and Denmark — have relatively similar views.

The British Party is for complete unconditional withdrawal. ,

The Communist Party of Ireland, at its recent 16th National Congress, Dublin, March 21—23, 1975, adopted a resolution in which it referred to: “Above all, the common demand, North and South, to get out of the Common Market.”

The Communist Party of Denmark is in favour of Denmark leaving the Common Market. Recent public opinion polls show a majority of Danes against the EEC; and it is believed that in the event of the British referendum deciding for withdrawal, there would be a strong demand in Denmark for a new referendum.